TY - GEN
T1 - Collaborative Robots Can Support Young Adults with Disabilities in Vocational Education and Training
AU - Herzog, Olivia
AU - Mina, Elisa
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Copyright held by the owner/author(s)
PY - 2024/3/11
Y1 - 2024/3/11
N2 - To explore the opportunities of collaborative robots (cobots) to assist young adults with disabilities, we accompanied the deployment of a cobot in a vocational training workshop. The study with eleven participants investigated how trainees with intellectual disabilities react to a cobot, which tasks can be supported, and which challenges and opportunities arise. The study includes two surveys on negative attitudes toward robots, two workshops followed by interviews, a group interview, and an email survey with supervisors. The surveys were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative methods. The results indicate a low negative attitude towards robots before and after working with the cobot. The cobot can be used for assembly, handling, and quality control. However, challenges such as the cost and the identification of suitable users and applications must be overcome to fully use the opportunities like improving workplace ergonomics, expanding users' skills, and preparing employees for the primary job market.
AB - To explore the opportunities of collaborative robots (cobots) to assist young adults with disabilities, we accompanied the deployment of a cobot in a vocational training workshop. The study with eleven participants investigated how trainees with intellectual disabilities react to a cobot, which tasks can be supported, and which challenges and opportunities arise. The study includes two surveys on negative attitudes toward robots, two workshops followed by interviews, a group interview, and an email survey with supervisors. The surveys were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative methods. The results indicate a low negative attitude towards robots before and after working with the cobot. The cobot can be used for assembly, handling, and quality control. However, challenges such as the cost and the identification of suitable users and applications must be overcome to fully use the opportunities like improving workplace ergonomics, expanding users' skills, and preparing employees for the primary job market.
KW - Cobots
KW - Human-Robot Interaction
KW - Inclusion
KW - Vocational Training
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85188129884&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1145/3610978.3640586
DO - 10.1145/3610978.3640586
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85188129884
T3 - ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction
SP - 540
EP - 544
BT - HRI 2024 Companion - Companion of the 2024 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction
PB - IEEE Computer Society
T2 - 19th Annual ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, HRI 2024
Y2 - 11 March 2024 through 15 March 2024
ER -